I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to water drainage systems and, more particularly, to such a system particularly suitable for paved roads.
II. Description of Related Art
Public as well as private roads are subjected to a great deal of wear and tear and other destructive forces from nature. This is particularly true for concrete roads in the northern portions of the United States as well as other colder regions. Such concrete roads and cold regions are all subjected to four seasons, namely fall, winter, spring, and summer. As such, these roads must be able to withstand wide temperature variations.
Winter and spring are perhaps the most destructive for such concrete and other paved roads. In particular, water from rainfall or melting snow seeps through the expansion joints formed between adjacent concrete pads which form the road. This water freezes in the winter and expands. Such expansion oftentimes results in cracks in the concrete which, in turn, creates additional openings in the concrete for water to seep through the concrete and collect underneath it. Pools of water underneath the concrete may even cause the concrete to collapse thus forming potholes in the road. Such potholes not only result in a dangerous driving condition for the road, but require constant and expensive repair by road workers.
A primary reason that the concrete roads in colder regions crack and form potholes is due to improper dissipation of surface water. Indeed, many roads have no means, whatsoever, to dissipate the water from rain and melting snow before it can seep underneath and between the concrete slabs which form the road.